The Los Angeles Rams will enter week 10 with a record of three wins and five losses. After starting the season in good form, they have since lost their last four games. Perhaps the most disappointing loss was this past Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, where their offense was unable to score more than 10 points at home. Despite having All-Pro running back Todd Gurley, receiver Kenny Britt having his best game yet, and tight end Lance Kendricks reaching almost 100 receiving yards, the offense once again failed to have an impact.
Rob Boras’ Struggles With the Los Angeles Rams Offense
The Rams now rank 29th in rush yards per game, 24th in pass yards per game, 31st in overall yards per game, and dead last in points per game. Fans have complained about the poor play from quarterback Case Keenum, and analysts have cited the ineffective offensive line. However, it may be time to focus criticism not merely on head coach Jeff Fisher, but on the coach in charge of this limp offense: first-time coordinator Rob Boras.
Rob Boras became the Rams offensive coordinator last February after the termination of Frank Cignetti Jr. Boras was previously the team’s tight ends’ coach and his development of former Rams tight end Jared Cook showcased his ability to get the best out of his players. Despite his inexperience at the coordinator position, he was handed the reigns along with play calling responsibilities.
Though he had never coached quarterbacks, receivers, or running backs, Boras followed in Andy Reid’s footsteps coming from a tight end and offensive line background. Unfortunately, his immediate impact has been substantially less successful than that of the former AP Coach of the Year.
The First Rob Boras Offense
To be fair, Rob Boras did not inherit the most appealing offense. In fact, when taking over late last season, the Rams were the worst in the league in multiple categories. They had a mildly effective running game, helped greatly by rookie Todd Gurley, and almost no passing game of which to speak.
The coordinator was given quite a task in the interim, and he excelled more than most would have expected. Boras led the team to a 3-1 finish, with its only loss in overtime to the San Francisco 49ers. His offense averaged 22.8 points per game in the last run, a stark contrast to the 10.8 average from their previous five games, all of which were losses. Thus, Boras was named the permanent offensive coordinator and the responsibility of bringing the Rams back into contention rested firmly on his shoulders.
The 2016 draft seemed to be built almost exclusively around the idea of building a powerful offense as the team took two wide receivers, two tight ends, and a quarterback. The front office gave Boras nearly an entire draft class of talent to begin his first full season as a coordinator, an obvious indicator of confidence in his work.
However, the same scoring deficiencies continued to plague the team. Not only have they not even used Jared Goff, their number one pick and supposed franchise quarterback, but their last first-round pick, Todd Gurley, is amidst a painful sophomore slump. Their offensive line is in shambles and their current quarterback, Case Keenum, is performing at a backup level. History is repeating itself and the fact that Boras may not be able to save the offense is becoming more apparent.
Debilitating Stagnation
The Rams have drafted seven offensive linemen since 2014 yet they currently have one of the worst units in the league. The run game is simply not there, because the holes are not there. There is no cohesion among the starting five and the phenomenal talents of Todd Gurley are being squandered week after week.
The line is not necessarily a group that lacks talent, but they do lack leadership. Whether it is Greg Robinson moving to tackle or the revolving door at guard between Jamon Brown and Cody Wichmann, this is a group without any stability, even on a depth chart.
The question for this offensive coordinator should not be whether Robinson was a bust, but if he would be better suited back in his familiar guard position. As Coach Fisher likes to reiterate, left tackle is one of the most difficult roles in professional football, and it may be out of Robinson’s skill range. While the team may also be thin on left tackle options, the offensive coordinator should be the one finding a solution to the problems, whether it be scheme adjustments or replacement.
This same logic applies to Case Keenum, who has shown that he is never going to play at a starter’s level, much less a franchise level. His inconsistent play, missed opportunities, and insufficiencies against elite defenses should have sent him back to the bench weeks ago. Yet, he remains as a starter, with losses, not his play, staying consistent.
The same can be said of the receiver corps; Tavon Austin can only take the team so far, and has been dropping passes at an alarming rate. Kenny Britt has been playing very well, and the game plan has shifted more in his favor. However, he will need more reliable support to continue to excel.
Boras should be searching for answers at these pivotal positions, experimenting and working with new elements to find what works with his players. By staying with the same arrangements, he is essentially rolling the dice every week and hoping his number will come up.
This might consist of placing more responsibility on rookies like Pharoh Cooper or Nelson Spruce, or simply moving current starters around. Whatever it takes, change is necessary. Staying the course has cost game after game and as the leader of this offense, Boras will need to be the first to propose the adjustments, no matter how drastic.
Play Calling
In addition to the coordinating duties, Boras has also assumed play calling responsibilities this season. Though daunting, he has taken to the position with flashes of brilliance.
Against the Seattle Seahawks, the offense successfully sliced up the fierce Seattle secondary with slants and under routes. This was also the first game where Kenny Britt emerged as the team’s star he is known as, presently. Though they failed to score a touchdown in that game, it was a momentum-boosting win at home and it gave the team confidence to take two more games on the road.
Boras was smart enough to realize that both Gurley and his offensive line were struggling too much to be effective in a game plan. Thus, he switched to short passes which allowed his line less pressure to hold rushers and his quarterback less pressure to make downfield throws.
However, like many styles in this league, defenses soon began to predict the patterns. Opponents started camping out their linebackers and defensive backs under those short routes and Keenum’s interception numbers skyrocketed. Knowing that Keenum was unable to make key downfield throws consistently and that the run blocking was subpar, the Rams became and remain an easy team to defend.
Now, there are reports of coaching philosophy conflicts, with Fisher wanting to focus on getting a hold of their run game and Boras wanting to have “explosion” plays of 20 or more yards as a regular occurrence. This pointless argument is along the lines of whether a musician should spend more time practicing their scales or their improvisation — as in both need to be at high levels to achieve success.
Conclusion
Rob Boras has struggled lately running the Los Angeles Rams offense. As a first-time coordinator, there is a learning curve he must overcome, but playing conservatively will extend this painful process to the point where his job will be in jeopardy.
However they do it, the Rams need to score more points. This will be accomplished first and foremost by Boras’s game plan and play calling. If this is more about the conflict between the styles of Fisher and Boras, then the Rams may have a much bigger problem on their hands. The team is still not out of playoff contention and the talent is there to sneak into a wild card spot. Boras is now in a spot where he will either have to find offensive unity or find a new job. Fans in Los Angeles are willing to take whatever option brings their team back to a winning culture.
Main Photo:
